JOBS POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Jobs Posts
Gen. Waldhauser:” Climate Change Is Threat to Global Stability”
Brief #57—Enviroment Policy Summary Climate change poses an immediate risk to international stability, General Waldhauser (Commander, AFRICOM) told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday. He cited research done by the Red Cross, which found that the effects of...
Teacher’s Strikes March On: Success in Oakland
Brief #33—Education Policy Summary Oakland teachers are returning to their classrooms, this week, after a week-long strike. After a year of contract negotiations, this Sunday school officials and teacher’s unions were finally able to come to an agreement. Although...
Trump and Kim Fail to Reach Agreement in Hanoi
Brief #58—Foreign Policy Summary President Trump and Chairman Kim’s departures from Hanoi last week, Trump by plane and Kim by way of an over 60-hour train ride, signaled the disappointing conclusion to the second in-person meeting between the two leaders. The first,...
Movement To Give Presidential Candidates All of a State’s Electoral College Votes Based on Nationwide Popular Vote Gaining Steam
Brief #79—Civil Rights Policy Summary The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an affiliation of U.S. states that has put together an agreement that has the potential to enact sweeping changes in future elections of the U.S. President. The current...
Judge Rules HIV Status is Not an Exclusionary Factor in the Ability to Serve
Brief #51—Health Policy A federal judge put a stop to the recent attacks on military members, referred to as the “Deploy or Get Out” ;policy. This policy , sponsored by the former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, effectively mandated that any military personnel who were...
The Trump Administration Tries to Further Limit Women’s Reproductive Rights
Brief #52—Health Policy The Trump administration made another calculated move in the war on Planned Parenthood and women’s reproductive rights late last month. Under this new policy provided by Trump and Pence, massive changes to Title X, the federal program that...
Whose New Deal? Unpacking the Green Plans of AOC and Senate Democrats
Brief #56 – Environmental Policy Policy Summary Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced her plans for a Green New Deal in February. Senate Democrats responded with their own, highly abridged version of a Green New Deal proposal at the end of the month,...
Supreme Court Greatly Limits Controversial Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws
Brief #78—Civil Rights Policy Summary Tyson Timbs of Indiana was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer. The value of the drugs sold was just under $400. Mr. Timbs eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to house arrest, five years of probation and...
Trumpian Economic Policies Likely a Factor in Growing Bipartisan Support for ‘Tax-the-rich’ Policies
Brief #34—Economics Policy Summary As President Trump continues his focus on securing funding for his border wall by any means necessary, some of the most influential democrats are working around the clock to help curb the damage caused by his policies by way of...
Trump Announces Quotas for Immigration Judges
Brief #46 Immigration
Policy Summary
On Monday, April 2, the Justice Department announced that it will be instating quotas for immigration judges to fill in order to process cases faster. Immigration judges will be expected to clear a minimum of 700 cases per year in order to keep their jobs. Of these 700 some cases, judges can only refer 15% or less of cases to higher courts, which typically prolongs the process of deportation in the event that an immigrant is to be removed from the country. On top of these measures, judges will be penalized if they schedule cases too far apart from one another.
These new measures are part of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ promise to tighten immigration enforcement and clear a backlog of 600,000 pending cases at the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EIOR). Director of EOIR James McHenry said the quota will “encourage efficient and effective case management while preserving immigration judge discretion and due process.”
Analysis
The first concern raised by the implementation of quotas is a judge’s ability to remain impartial during court cases. Judges worry that due process will be violated if they are rushing through cases merely to receive a ‘satisfactory’ on an annual review. Justice is undermined when judges are pressured to meet metrics backed by anti-immigrant sentiments, which is precisely what Attorney General Sessions has championed as the country’s chief law enforcement officer and throughout his decades-long career in the Senate.
Equally concerning, immigrant judges and advocates alike feel that the implementation of the quota was created solely to rush the deportation of all immigrants going through Immigration Court, regardless of what circumstances brought them to the United States and what they’ve contributed to the fabric of the country’s economy and culture since arriving in the US.
It won’t be surprising if immigration judges pushback on this new measure given the legal implications and complications that could arise from instating quotas, but for now the implementation stands.
Engagement Resources
Support the National Immigrant Justice Center: Immigrant Justice protects human rights and provides access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. A project of the Heartland Alliance, a Chicago-based nonprofit working in the areas of health, housing, and human care, Immigrant Justice champions the human rights of immigrants through providing quality, low-cost legal services, improving the immigrant legal system simultaneously. Learn how you can help advance Immigrant Justice’s work here.
Show Your Solidarity with The New Americans Campaign: The New Americans Campaign is a national, nonpartisan network of immigrant organizations, legal service providers, faith-based organizations, faith-based organizations, immigrant rights groups, foundations, and community leaders. A project by the Immigration Legal Resource Center, the campaign is committed to connecting lawful permanent residents to trusted legal assistance. Click here to support the campaign.
Stay Informed with the National Association of Immigrant Judges: NAIJ is a voluntary organization of the United States Immigration Judges. The mission of NAIJ is to promote independence and enhance the professionalism, dignity, and efficiency of Immigrant Courts. To stay up-to-date on all things related to Immigration Court news, check out to the NAIJ news page.
Student Organizers Take Control of the Gun Control Debate: National Student Walkout and the March for Our Lives
Brief # 3 Gun Control
Summary
On February 14, 2018 a gunman shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Florida. According to CNN, within the first 12 weeks of 2018 there have been an average of 1.4 school shootings a week, which comes out to 17 school shootings where someone has been hurt or killed. Since the shooting on February 14, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have launched the #neveragain movement. The group of around twenty students from MSD was initially founded by Cameron Kasky, Alex Wind and Sofie Whitney the day after the shooting, they were later joined by fellow students Alfonso Calderon, Sarah Chadwick, Jaclyn Corin, Emma González, and David Hogg among others.
Analysis
The #neveragain movement organized by MSD students has featured two major events in the past few weeks. A month after the shooting in Parkland, the MSD students started a global initiative: the National Student Walkout. At 10 a.m. on March 14, students across the country walked out of school for 17 minutes to honor those who lost their lives during the school shooting. Walkouts happened in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the country including in Columbine, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut. Kaylee Tyner, a student at Columbine High School who participated in the walkout, told the New York Times, “We have grown up watching more tragedies occur and continuously asking: Why?” While some schools and administrations were supportive of the walkout, there were also schools that told students if they walked out they would be facing disciplinary action. According to Youth EMPOWER, the youth branch of the Women’s March, over 3,000 walkouts took place around the country with over 1 million students participating.
The students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas also organized the March for Our Lives, a national movement on March 24, 2018. The march, originally organized for D.C., had over 800 sister marches planned worldwide. Their demands:
- Fund gun violence research
- Eliminate restrictions on the ATF
- Universal background checks
- High-capacity magazine ban
- Limit firing power on the streets
Politicians were not asked to speak at the marches, rather they were student organized and led. In D.C. MSD student, Emma Gonzalez had a particularly powerful impact on the crowd, standing on stage for 6 minutes and 20 seconds, the majority of the time in silence. She said, “Six minutes and about 20 seconds. In a little over 6 minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured and everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered. Everyone who was there understands. Everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands. For us, long, tearful, chaotic hours in the scorching afternoon sun were spent not knowing. No one understood the extent of what had happened.” Many activists also noted the intersectionality of this march by including and elevating people of color and their stories. Jaclyn Corin, one of the MSD student organizers addressed this directly in her speech saying, “We recognize that Parkland received more attention because of its affluence. But we share this stage today and forever with those communities who have always stared down the barrel of a gun.” Naomi Wadler, an 11-year-old girl, also took the stage in D.C., to say never again for black females. “My friends and I might still be 11 and we might still be in elementary school, but we know. We know life isn’t equal for everyone and we know what is right and wrong.”
In the US it is estimated 1.2 million people marched around the country. At the march in D.C. estimates range from 200,000 to 800,000 people. In Boston it is estimated between 50,000-100,000 people participated in the march and rally on the Boston Commons. In New York City around 200,000 people marched through the streets. In Los Angeles it is estimated around 55,000 people attended the March for Our Lives rally. And, in Parkland, Florida, approximately 20,000 people marched. Another student walkout is being planned for April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
In response to the Parkland shooting and the rise of the MSD student activists, the NRA has received an outpouring of monetary support from their supporters. Contributions to the NRA’s Political Victory Fund which funds candidates supportive of the NRA tripled during the month of February. Additionally, after the shooting, the NRA increased their Facebook ad spending from $11,300 to $47,300. Their ads included messaging such as, “Never in our lives have we seen more dangerous and reckless attacks from those who despise our freedoms.”
Now, the student organizers are turning their attention to the November midterm elections. Furthering the original goals of the march, nearly 4,800 people were registered to vote, which is in line with their next mission—Vote for Our Lives. David Hogg, another of the MSD student activists has said, “To those politicians supported by the NRA that allow the continued slaughter of our children and our future, I say get your resumes ready.”
Engagement Resources
March for Our Lives—Their mission is “Not one more.” Follow their website as they turn movement from the March into further action.
Sandy Hook Promise—An organization created by the parents of Sandy Hook students to build a national movement to deliver gun violence prevention programs and mobilize for the passage of sensible state and national policy.
Everytown—A movement of Americans working to end gun violence and build safer communities.
This brief was compiled by Rebecca Leclerc. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact, rebecca@usresistnews.org.
Mental Health and Gun Violence: Rhetoric or Necessary Policy?
Brief 33
Policy Summary:
There are many legislation proposals that are suggesting further limitations placed on those that are mentally ill and their access to guns. However, there are several loopholes which allow those with documented mental illnesses to purchase weapons. There have been recent movements to help block these loopholes. This includes further specifying the broad mental health categories which allow differentiation between commitments to outpatient treatment or guardian care, blocking access to purchasing guns from private sellers (e.g. buying at gun shows), and increasing accessibility to medical records which show possible violent behavior. Trump has also paved the way for open access to guns for as many Americans as possible, even those with a mental illness. Policy suggestions on both sides of the aisle have attempted to limit this access through closing some of the loopholes that exist for those that have documented mental illness. The problem of this lies not in the mental health policies around gun control, but in the presence of guns themselves.
Analysis:
The common strategy for conservatives to use to get out of applying common sense gun reform is blaming the problem of rampant US gun violence on solely the poor mental health of the active shooters. This is also actually working to convince most Americans that the gun violence problem is rooted not in access to guns, but the taboo of mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association has proven that there has been little research claiming a correlation between gun violence and mental illness. Limiting access to weapons for those with documented mental illness has been shown to reduce gun violence, but it’s not the main catalyst. There have been strong correlations to instances of bullying, but there hasn’t been significant connections between mental illness and gun violence in mass shootings. Ultimately, the broader question around mental illness and gun violence lies in access. Current legislation doesn’t limit the access of those without a documented mental illness or general public access to military style assault rifles. Common sense gun reform has often included background checks, but what’s the point if the buyer doesn’t have indicators of a violent history or if a buyer finds a military assault rifle at a gun show? This has been the central issue with gun control advocates: limiting access to more dangerous weapons for everyone, not just those with a mental illness.
Engagement Resources:
March for Our Lives- an organization started after the Parkland school shooting which aims to unify advocates for gun control around relevant issues. Consider donating or canvassing during the midterm elections on these issues with this organization.
Alliance for Gun Responsibility Foundation– Learn about how this organization is aiming to destigmatize the association between gun violence and mental illness. Consider donating or attending a conference if possible.
As always, contact your state’s elected officials and voice your concerns or support.
This Brief was compiled by Sophia Adams. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this Brief please contact sophia@usresistnews.org.
Teacher Walkouts Spreading Throughout Red States
Brief # 21 Education
Summary
Teachers in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona have been participating in walkouts in an effort to raise salary increases for teachers and increase funding for their schools. These protests come in the wake of teacher walkouts in West Virginia after state legislature approved a 5% raise after nine days of the teacher led movement.
In Oklahoma teachers are asking for a $10,000 raise, a $5,000 raise for support staff and $200 million over three years for funding of schools. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has since signed a bill to fund a $6,000 raise for teachers and $1,250 raise for support staff. The same bill provides only $33 million for textbooks as opposed to the $200 million over three years.
In Kentucky, teachers are protesting education budget cuts, and a change in retirement plans for new teachers that would eliminate pension plans and create a retirement plan similar to a 401(k) which is used in the private sector. The new bill would also limit the amount of sick days teachers are allowed to put towards their retirement.
In Arizona teachers want a 20% raise to increase wages to those of neighboring states like Colorado and New Mexico, and they want increased school funding. They’re asking that the state of Arizona implements no new tax cuts until the per-pupil spending in state matches the national average.
Analysis
West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona are red states, where Republican legislators have consistently passed tax cuts that benefit the businesses and cut funding for public services. These budget cuts have largely impacted classrooms and the students in them. A picture on Facebook posted by an Oklahoma art teacher, Laurissa Kovacs, has gone viral. In the post she says how she has up to 32 students in some of her classes and not enough chairs for all her students to sit in. The chairs they do have are broken and the bottoms are falling out from under kids. Another viral post, a tweet by a parent of an Oklahoma Public School student, shows an image of a textbook that still lists George W. Bush as the current president of the United States.
According to The 74, a nonprofit news site that covers education in the U.S., “When adjusted for inflation, education spending in 29 states (including Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Arizona) was less in 2015 than it was in 2008.”
In light of the walkouts and the response from some legislators, teachers are now planning to run for local offices. One example is Cyndi Ralston, who is running to unseat Republican Representative Kevin McDugle. McDugle has said of the teacher walkouts, “I’m not voting for another stinking measure when they are acting the way they are acting.” In response Ralston announced her campaign by saying, “When my colleagues and I have visited our Republican representatives and senators, we have been brushed off, if not outright lied to. Republican members of the legislature have made it crystal clear that they do not believe they work for us, that our concerns do not matter. . . If Kevin McDugle won’t fight for teachers and students, then I will. If Kevin McDugle won’t back parents over oil companies, I will.” In Kentucky, 40 teachers or other educators have filed to run for office, and Arizona has also seen an increase in educators file to run for office.
Teacher walkouts are expected to continue in the following week in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona.
Engagement Resources
Research—Learn how much your state spends per-pupil and what the average teacher salary is in each state.
Contact your elected officials—Let them know that teacher wages and education spending are important issues to you.
This brief was compiled by Rebecca Leclerc. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact, rebecca@usresistnews.org.
Trump Establishes Federal Commission on School Safety
Education Brief #22
Summary
In a White House briefing statement issued on March 12, 2018, President Trump established the Federal Commission on School Safety chaired by Education Secretary Betsey DeVos. The commission was established to address school safety and “a culture of violence”. According to the White House briefing the committee, among other issues, will address:
- Best practices for school buildings and campus security from Federal Government components, including the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and also from other State, local, and private sector sources.
- A plan for integration and coordination of Federal resources focused on prevention and mitigation of active shooter incidents at schools.
- Opportunities to improve access to mental health treatment, including through efforts that raise awareness about mental illness and the effectiveness of treatment, reduce barriers to the recruitment of mental health professionals, and provide training related to violence prevention.
- Best practices for school-based threat assessment and violence prevention strategies.
- Existing entertainment rating systems and youth consumption of violent entertainment.
- Strategies to advance the science and practice of character development in youth and a culture of connectedness.
- Effects of press coverage of mass shootings.
According to a press-release by the Department of Education, released nine days after the White House briefing, the members of the committee are: Secretary DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen.
The first meeting of the Commission took place on March 28, 2018. According to another press release by the Department of Education they discussed “staffing, the timeline for future meetings with stakeholders, coordination with State and local partners, the scope of the Commission’s work and how best to incorporate stakeholder input on the issue areas President Donald Trump directed the Commission to study.”
Analysis
Many key stakeholders in the public education community feel that the Commission is leaving out the voices of students, parents, and educators. After the first meeting of the Commission the National Education Association President, Lily Eskelsen García, issued a press release explaining the frustrations. “This commission is meeting just days after hundreds of thousands of students held marches in Washington and across the country to demand meaningful action to prevent gun violence in our schools and communities. Yet, today’s meeting purposefully excludes the voices of students, educators and parents . . . Given the previous actions of DeVos, we’re not surprised that today’s meeting is closed to the media and happening away from the eyes of the public. The commission’s clear purpose is to push an agenda that is focused on a dangerous and misguided plan to put more guns in schools by arming teachers and other school personnel.”
Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat representing Washington, and the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Education Committee, also expressed concerns about the Commission in a statement she released after meeting with DeVos about the Commission. In her statement she specifically called out the NRA’s potential involvement in the Commission. “While Secretary DeVos said she had no interest in meeting with the NRA as a part of this process, she couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me how the NRA would be allowed to influence the commission’s recommendations, or even that they wouldn’t have veto power. She wouldn’t agree to put survivors of gun violence, families of victims, or experts on preventing gun violence on the commission — in fact, she told me that the only people on the commission would be federal officials.”
In response to the concern that there are no students, parents or educators on the committee, DeVos has said, “This is an urgent matter. We want to ensure sure that we are able to move and operate as quickly as possible, without getting bogged down in bureaucracy.”
The committee has not met again and there isn’t a public timeline of when the next meeting will be held.
Engagement Resources
Email the Commission—Let them know your concerns about school safety directly
Take action with the National Education Association—Tell Congress to pass common-sense gun violence laws
Contact your elected officials—Let them know that you want students and educators to have a voice in this process
This brief was compiled by Rebecca Leclerc. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact, rebecca@usresistnews.org.
Is The Department of Housing and Urban Development Becoming Hostile To Racial Equality Efforts?
Policy Summary:
On March 28, 2018, a New York Times investigation reported that Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), had ordered the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Division at the federal agency to pause investigations into violations of federal fair housing laws. The next day two prominent Senate Democrats, Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein of California, and a number of U.S. Congressional Representatives sent a letter to Secretary Carson expressing their “deep concern” concerning a proposed change in the mission statement of HUD. An internal memo dated March 5, 2018 revealed that the proposed change would remove the phrase “free from discrimination” from the updated mission statement and instead describe HUD’s mission as “to ensure Americans have access to fair, affordable housing.” LEARN MORE, LEARN MORE
Analysis:
These two incidents should raise red flags about the direction of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under Secretary Carson. The Trump Administration has repeatedly been accused of being hostile to civil rights. These two incidents do not help in trying to erase those accusations towards President Trump and members of his administration. First, the pausing of investigations into violations of federal fair housing laws creates an impression that racial discrimination incidents in housing are unimportant. Mr. Jereon Brown, a spokesman for HUD, stated that sixty per cent of their complaints are disability related and that the department was going to now focus on new, neglected areas of discrimination. But this statistic misses the point. Even if the majority of complaints come from other areas that does not mean that complaints based on racial or national origin discrimination will simply stop occurring or are unworthy of an investigation. The message sent by pausing current investigations into racial discrimination complaints at HUD is that the agency could care less that they occur and are uninterested in helping American citizens be free from these types of behavior in the housing field.
The second incident from HUD regarding the proposed change in the mission statement of the agency only reinforces the theme that Secretary Carson is steering the agency in a direction that is hostile to civil rights. This incredible proposal is stunning because it seeks to remove the very words that prompted the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in the first place. The text of that act “prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race.” One of the non – profit organizations that helped to push for passage of the act was the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing. The use of the new phrase “fair, affordable housing” in the mission statement has a very different meaning from “free from discrimination.” A minority citizen could be denied access to fair and affordable housing because of his race and be unsure if HUD would do anything to remedy the situation in his neighborhood. Reading these two incidents together shows a troubling policy shift initiated by Secretary Carson and deserves clarification from the agency to ensure that the agency’s fifty – years of work does not go down a different path than originally intended by Congress. LEARN MORE, LEARN MORE, LEARN MORE
Engagement Resources:
National Fair Housing Alliance – non – profit group seeking to eliminate housing discrimination.
Fair Housing Justice Center – non – profit group seeking to strengthen enforcement of fair housing laws.
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein – book detailing the history of how laws and policies passed by federal, state and local governments promoted racial housing segregation in America.
This brief was compiled by Rod Maggay. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief, please contact Rod@USResistnews.org.
Trump Says ‘NO MORE DACA DEAL!’
Policy Summary
On Easter Sunday, before entering services, Trump took to Twitter to announce that there would be “no more DACA deal.” Speaking with reporters before going to church, Trump cited that an influx of Mexican border crossings, for which he has no evidence to back up, put a wrench in the deal; that Hondurans caravanning through Mexico are crossing to take advantage of the program, and that Democrats “blew their great chance” of securing the future of dreamers.
Analysis
The tweet prompting discussion on DACA expressed frustrations with “ridiculous liberal laws” preventing Border Patrol Agents from doing their jobs, indicating that “no more DACA deal” is a retaliation towards Democrats, as well as a gross misunderstanding of what’s actually going on at the US-Mexican border. First and foremost, illegal border crossings are at a 46 year low, according to a Department of Homeland Security study. This would negate the notion that Border Patrol Agents aren’t able to do their jobs, as well as the idea that the influx of Latin Americans entering the United States illegally en masse. Secondly, the “caravans” Trump speaks of are groups of Hondurans migrating to Mexico City, ending their foot travels to safety there. Unfounded rhetoric like the content of this tweet is what continues to stoke anti-immigrant sentiments in the US that are founded upon false truths. Nevertheless, in the wake of Trump’s twitter tirade, the fate of DACA remains largely uncertain.
Engagement Resources
Get Involved with Here to Stay: Here to Stay is a campaign run by United We Dream aimed at defending DACA. The organization hosts local Defend DACA rallies and other events, holds community calls, and provides resources for understanding DACA, as well as mental health resources for anyone who is affected by Trump’s decision to end DACA.
Support the Center for Migration Studies: The Center for Migration Studies is a New York-based think tank that conducts crucial research on international migration patterns. The Center publishes journals, sponsors events, produces research for policy recommendations, partners with faith-based institutions to support migrants, and maintains migration archives. You can support the Center by donating here.
Contact Your Representative: Tell your representative how you feel about DACA! Click this link to find out who your representatives are and how you can contact them.
Trump Administration to Add Citizenship Question to Census; California Sues
Policy Summary
On Monday, March 26, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration will be adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 U.S. Census. This decision was made at the request of the Department of Justice, which wrote to the Census Bureau in December of 2017 asking that a citizenship question be reinstated to “provide census block level citizenship voting age population data (CVAP).” CVAP data is used to determine any violations to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, according to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
Following this announcement, the State of California sued the Trump administration, citing that the citizenship question is unconstitutional.
Analysis
The problem with the citizenship question is twofold: 1) it intimidates undocumented immigrants out of participating in the census; and 2) results of the census can be skewed to unfairly favor the GOP. Should undocumented immigrants abstain from participating in the 2020 Census for fear of deportation or other reasons surrounding the citizenship question, population numbers in urban areas where undocumented immigrants are most populous will fall. This impacts partisan politics because the census determines who draws district lines at the state level. State legislatures draw their own district lines in accordance with census data. The party in control of a state’s legislature is afforded the power to redraw the district lines after census data comes out in order to make sure that districts are near equal in population number, which is required at the state level. By deterring undocumented immigrants from participating in the 2020 census, urban populations will decline and districts will have to be redrawn to include suburban and even rural populations in the same district as urban ones. Because rural populations tend to be Republican, districts that are typically blue may become red following the 2020 census. Because some conservative Republicans have aired on the side of hard-lined immigration policies, more red districts could mean more unwarranted deportations for undocumented immigrants.
Engagement Resources
Act with America’s Voice: America’s Voice is a progressive immigration reform nonprofit that advocates for full and equal rights of all immigrants. The organization runs numerous campaigns, maps incidents of hate against people of color, and assists with voter registration, amongst other activities essential to promoting equity for immigrant lives in the United States. You can make a contribution to America’s Voice here.
Support the New Americans Campaign: The New Americans Campaign is a national, nonpartisan network of immigrant organizations, legal service providers, faith-based organizations, faith-based organizations, immigrant rights groups, foundations, and community leaders. A project by the Immigration Legal Resource Center, the campaign is committed to connecting lawful permanent residents to trusted legal assistance. Click here to support the campaign.
Stay Up to Date with the National Immigration Forum: The National Immigration Forum is a DC-based nonprofit that leads the nation in constructive conversation and advocacy for the value of immigrants and immigration. The Forum is currently running a program called Immigration 2020, a multi-constituency effort to ensure that new Americans have the opportunities, skills, and status they need to contribute to the United States and realize their maximum potential. Join the organization’s email list to stay up date on all things related to immigration policy.
***
This brief was compiled by Principal Immigration News Analyst Allie Blum. For questions or comments, you can reach her at allie@usresistnews.org.
Trump Appoints John Bolton as New National Security Adviser
Summary
On March 22nd, only a week after the replacement of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Trump announced the departure of national security adviser General H.R. McMaster. On April 9th, the seat will be filled- for the third time in fourteen months- by John Bolton. The position does not require congressional approval, which is a blessing for Bolton considering he has historically been unable to succeed in convincing even a Republican controlled congress that his views are sufficiently restrained for public office. An Ivy League trained renowned war hawk who never served time in the military, Bolton is a strong stylistic departure from his predecessor. McMaster’s military background had instilled a preference for order and procedure which clashed with the looser methodology of President Trump. He also prefered a more diplomatic approach to Iran, an increase in troops in Afghanistan, and a stronger front against Russian election interference- the evidence of which he called “incontrovertible”. Many have suggested that the final spark which set his departure into motion was his possible involvement in leaking the news that Trump had ignored memo’s asking him not to congratulate Putin on his recent electoral victory. Despite this, McMaster’s exit has been far more amicable than that of his former colleague Tillerson.
Analysis
To be frank, the appointment of John Bolton may be the most dangerous personnel decision Trump has ever made. There is rarely a foreign policy dispute to which Bolton would not recommend war in response. He entered that national stage as President Reagan’s Assistant Attorney General, a position which he used to suppress information on the Iran-Contra affair. Under President George W. Bush, Bolton worked as the Undersecretary of State in Charge of Arms Control. Perhaps foreshadowing what we have seen from the Trump administration, he viewed his objective as completely antithetical to his job title, going as far as to block the passage of a ban on the personal ownership of military grade weapons. After failing to attain congressional approval for his radical views, Bush appointed him to UN Ambassador while the Senate was on recess. Bolton was one the main figures supporting the invasion of Iraq. In the lead-up to the war he told the Director of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague that he would need to resign after he requested chemical weapon inspections in Iraq. Bolton feared that a sincere investigation of the facts at hand would interfere with the case for invasion.
Since the Bush administration, Bolton has resorted to using any media appearance to call for war against Iran and North Korea, while also calling Russia and China two of our greatest enemies. Just recently he wrote an op-ed titled “The Case for Striking North Korea First”, a terrifying prospect considering the Presidential sit down with Kim Jong-un coming this May. In 2014 his Super PAC was involved in hiring the now notorious consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to conduct “behavioral microtargeting with psychographic messaging”.
To this day, he continues to be a strong defender of the decision to invade Iraq. With the ten year anniversary of the invasion last week, Perhaps the answer to Bolton’s unrepentant commitment to the legacy of the Iraq invasion is that, unlike many of his contemporaries, he does not brand himself as a neo-Conservative. What this means is that he does not bother to concern himself with the same veneer of respectability. His desire for war is not founded in any ideal of promoting democracy and freedom around the world, but rather a method for advancing American interests through any way possible. As a pro-intervention nationalist, he fits nicely alongside Trump, who once asked why we didn’t fully pillage Iraqi oil fields for our own supply. But beyond that, the man is capable, with extensive experience in foreign policy and bureaucratic process. And for that reason, the danger is perhaps more tangible than it ever has been.
Engagement Resources
- Stay Up to Date With the Struggle for World Peace With the World Peace Council: The WPC is an alliance of pro-peace, anti-imperialist organizations, based in over 100 countries around the world. You can learn more about their work on their website.
- Listen to a Podcast on the Dangers Posed by John Bolton: This episode of the Intercept’s podcast, Intercepted, covers the history and implications of John Bolton.
Special Legal Status Ended for Liberian Community
Policy Summary
On Tuesday, March 27, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration will be terminating Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for the Liberian community. DED is a non-specific temporary immigration status that enables citizens from countries around the world experiencing conflict, natural disaster, or disease to live and work in the United States while the home country’s government restores living conditions. DED status was first granted to Liberians by President Bill Clinton in 1999 following the outbreak of Liberia’s second civil war, which lasted until 2003. Presidents George W. Bush was the first to grant DED to Liberians as the country recovered from war, only to be raptured again by an Ebola outbreak in 2014. DED status will end for the Liberian community as of March 31, 2018. By that date next year, all will be forced back to Liberia. President Trump terminated DED for Liberians citing improved conditions in the country.
Liberians now join the ranks of Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Salvadoran communities that face deportation from the United States in 2019 (January for Haitians, July for Nicaraguans, and September for Salvadorans, respectively). These groups are being forcibly removed from the US following the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a similar program to DED that enables citizens of other countries to seek refuge and employment in the United States while the home country heals from natural or man-made disaster.
While the exact number of Liberians living in the US under DED is not known, an estimated 800,000 Liberians were displaced by the civil war, some fleeing to the United States.
Analysis
The picture Trump paints of a stable, prosperous, livable Liberia contrasts the reality of the country’s conditions, according to the Liberian community and its advocates. While armed conflict has ceased, this does not change the fact that Liberians in the US under DED have started businesses and families and are important contributors to local and national economies. Like the Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Salvadoran populations in a similar predicament, many Liberians gave birth to children here, and those children are US citizens. Do they abandon their children at the hands of the Trump administration, or do they bring their children to an unfamiliar land?
The decision to end DED for Liberians further demonstrates Trumps commitment to purging immigrant communities with unfounded reasoning. As the country braces to say goodbye to hundreds of thousands of immigrants next calendar year, the social, political, and economic repercussions will be felt in all corners of this country and throughout the world.
Engagement Resources
Act with America’s Voice: America’s Voice is a progressive immigration reform nonprofit that advocates for full and equal rights of all immigrants. The organization runs numerous campaigns, maps incidents of hate against people of color, and assists with voter registration, amongst other activities essential to promoting equity for immigrant lives in the United States. You can make a contribution to America’s Voice here.
Support the Center for Migration Studies: The Center for Migration Studies is a think-tank and educational institute devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees and newcomers. You can support the institute through purchasing its publications or attending an event.
Stay Up to Date with the National Immigration Forum: The National Immigration Forum is a DC-based nonprofit that leads the nation in constructive conversation and advocacy for the value of immigrants and immigration. The Forum is currently running a program called Immigration 2020, a multi-constituency effort to ensure that new Americans have the opportunities, skills, and status they need to contribute to the United States and realize their maximum potential. Join the organization’s email list to stay up date on all things related to immigration policy.
***
This brief was compiled by U.S. RESISTNEWS Analyst Allie Blum: allie@usresistnews.org.